As Seen on TV

By Lisa Arnett
Appears in the August 2025 issue.

Channel some nostalgic family fun at Great Big Game Show

For those not content to just shop, Oakbrook Center has been steadily gaining entertainment options. Not only can you play mini golf (Puttshack), bocce ball and bowling (Pinstripes), and virtual reality games (Wonderverse, Sandbox VR, and Immersive Gamebox), but now you can star in your very own game show.

Great Big Game Show (554 Oakbrook Center) recently opened on the upper level of the mall’s Nordstrom wing. “It’s a live, interactive game show experience where you can bring your friends and family, and you guys are the contestants on the game show,” says Josh Williams, studio manager. “It runs you through a series of mini-games that are all inspired by actual game shows you’ve seen on TV—and they range from luck to skill to trivia to spinning the wheel to hitting the buzzers.”

The first location of Great Big Game Show opened two years ago in Nashville as a spinoff concept of The Escape Game, an operator of brick-and-mortar escape rooms and virtual escape room experiences. Williams, who is originally from Nashville, has traveled to open locations of Great Big Game Show around the country—including at Mall of America in Minneapolis, Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, and CityCentre in Houston—and now manages the Oak Brook studio. “I have family in Burr Ridge so I’m setting some roots down here for a bit,” he says.

To play, you need a minimum of two people; capacity maxes out at 14 total. “We can do one versus one all the way up to seven versus seven,” Williams says. If your group is smaller than 14, you may be matched up with another group. “It might be a surprise who you’re playing against,” he says. “The other day we had a family of four play against a group of 14-year-old girls celebrating a birthday.”

After being greeted by a staffer in the lobby, players are ushered into the studio itself to meet their host. “We have our lighting immediately set and ready to go, so there will be red and blue lights flashing, and it will feel as if you’re on TV, hearing a director over the mic saying, ‘Testing, testing’ and ‘All right guys, it’s time to take your places.’ ”

The host customizes the run-of-show on the spot. “We have 16 games in total we can play, and in an hour we can fit about five to seven,” Williams says. “If it’s a younger group, usually we stick to more hands-on games; for an older group, we are definitely going to get some trivia games in there.” The degree of movement involved can be customized to meet the needs of players using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

Contestants technically can’t choose which games their group will play; however, Williams says hosts are trained to tune into requests. “We have all of our props out, so you can see the wheel, the drawing board, and the chip board that’s like Plinko [from The Price Is Right], so if we hear someone say ‘I love Plinko!’ we will play our version of that.” Contestants rack up points for their team, and the host declares a winner at the end of the hour. “We don’t give out prizes, but we like to say you get bragging rights for life.”

The experience features nostalgic game show touches like oversize name tags. “When I’m hosting, I always tell my team to have fun with it. They can do their real name, a fake name, a nickname,” Williams says. “A lot of times people come up with silly names, and then it’s funny for everyone when the host has to say them out loud.” If you do opt for a stage name, just don’t forget what you’ve selected, or you’ll lose valuable seconds when the host calls on you. “That happens a lot.”

Early morning and late night hours mean you can fit a game in whenever you’re feeling the competitive spirit. Advanced bookings are available by phone or online from 8 a.m. to 11:55 p.m. daily; Williams says weekends tend to book up a week or more in advance, but walk-ins are often available on weekdays.

A one-hour game show costs $39.99 per person regardless of group size, and kids ages 5 and under are free. “To play, we recommend ages 6 and up. Six-year-olds tend to understand the concepts better, be tall enough to hit the buzzer, and patient enough to listen to the rules—though there are always exceptions to that,” Williams says. “If younger kids want to come along and do their own thing, we allow that for sure. All the time we have people bring in kids in strollers or carry their babies in.”

Photos: Great Big Game Show